Hi Amy, Informative video. I have the dream of building an observatory in my garden, so this video was quite useful. I kinda like the idea of a dome that half of it opens so there is no slit. (it rotates too). But the roll-off roll-on seems viable too. Plus I am always concerned about the heat build-up during the day when it is closed. So many decisions.
Camera isolation is a great idea. Using garage door rails for the roof is cool. Interesting to see the pad size different from Ver 1.0 and 2.0 Toilets?
Fantastic video! In the future when I get to that point I'm definitely going to take some of this into consideration. For now, I'm just enjoying being out in the open under the stars. :)
That’s why I went with a SkyShed POD. It’s mobile so I can take with me if I move or sell it. It is made of ABS, which will probably outlast me and no termite issues. It is a half dome which moves out of the way completely for while sky access with the addition of a PZT table and it is affordable. It has been 6 years and I am very happy.
How do you feel about bending to get inside? Do you need the dome open to move around? Have you noticed it getting hot inside? My car in the summer is over 110F.
@@AmyAstro I’m short at 5’3” so it doesn’t bother me at all. I can move around just fine with the dome closed and that’s because I went overkill and built a 12” concrete pier with a wooden box around and it still gives me plenty of room to have a chair and walk around. The temp variation is about 10 degrees more than ambient temperature so a little hotter in the summer and less cold in the winter. I run a dehumidifier inside mine running at 40%. There’s a little gap between the wall and the wheels just enough to get a little breeze for ventilation but not a drop of water. Another thing I really like is that the walls are short so I can image a target all night from rising to setting. I don’t think there is a perfect observatory design, they all have pros and cons so you just have to make a checklist of your desires and cross-reference with your budget. I couldn’t afford a super expensive dome, had to hire someone to build my deck and that was already expensive enough, ai wouldn’t imagine the price of the whole building. Honestly, the only con of the POD for me is that when the dome is pushed out of the way, it will block that direction of the sky, which for me is North but with the dome open half way I can still image North, just not Zenith, every other position is open 100% so I’m okay with that for now. If you build a table North and another South, you can have access to the whole sky.
In your wide view of all the observatories I only saw 1 dome in the field, I think we are all biased by professional Obs's mostly being domes that we think that is the best way to go. I personally have a 10' x 10' ROR that I am very happy with. Just make sure to keep the roof as light as possible. My roof is made using foam panels that are sandwiched with aluminum that are used for sun rooms. You are welcome to come visit and inspect if you are ever in the Toccoa area. Tim
No donuts!! Our group just purchased our very own dark sky site, and one of the discussions is: what about EAA and fully remote? So the talk is already turning to dome or rolloff. Lots of things to consider. Good luck on your research.
@@AmyAstro From the domes I have seen in other places, I think they work best when they are close to the place you live. You can setup your run and then go into the house to control it, and when it's done, just close the dome. The roll-offs seem to be better when in a distant location. They can be totally automated, monitored, and when built like a garage with an extended work space, can allow visitors a place to work or even sleep. Are you going to ALCon in Albuquerque later this month?
Thank you for making this video. I always love seeing other people's observatories where ever you are. I don't have an observatory just a pier with a G11 permanently mounted. It takes only a couple of minutes to put my imaging scope onto the mount with all the accessories, and I am ready. What I do miss and this is where I get envious of you guys. Is my constant battle with British weather and the cloud. When those skies do clear up. It's usually at the full Moon. But hey oh. You have to carry on. Regarding you're observatory. Have you considered a SkyShed-POD? -P
I looked at the POD, and it was too short for me, plus having to manually rotate the dome all night was an annoyance imagining. The POD Max though...different story. The roll-off also lets me have a shorter pier, so it's easier to have more stability. Tall piers are a pain to stabilize.
Thanks for the tour. You have a great site! BTW, one other aspect of domes ... you don't get dew in a dome. Scopes don't need dew shields or dew heaters in domes. This was unexpected for me.
I just went the other way from a Nexdome to a roll off. The product has matured a bit and it works ok. But for me the shutter alignment with my 11” edgeHD was always tricky with a guide scope on top. Also the fact that you need a battery with a wireless makes two points of failure that frustrate your life. He’s right about technology not always working. Not to slight Nexdome they were good guys. I agree with everything he said about domes. The roll off is surprisingly easy to construct. The opener is darn near bulletproof. They are hard wired in so not wireless no batteries. I used a dragonfly from Lunatico and it was really easy to wire everything up. And the zenith is clear. With the dome you don’t get a straight up clear zenith with any kind of a larger scope and quider. You miss around 10 degrees of the best sky. I use garage door track and it holds a large roof. I’m in Oklahoma and the track holds the roof in strong winds. I use a 12 volt gate latch hooked to the dragonfly with magnet sensors. It automates the opening and it’s easy.
Thank you for your comment. My first want was always a roll-off-roof. I just got scared when either I had to build it, or pay an arm and a leg to get one built. Do you have any photos of your obsy online so I can see?
You can get an observatory and get a clamshell observatory the only problem I have with that sometimes is a zenith but there are ways around that too and I've been out there at 30 mph winds and imaging as long as the winds coming from my back
@@AmyAstro Yea the bending is hard but I thought about how to get around that , like build a raised deck with the door at the edge so just stepping in but going out may have to bend... Also I think he may be making one with higher walls so it would be a simple duck.. Also he makes something where you can slide off the clam shell to se the zenith ... There are give and takes to everything .... Also I was thinking about looking into going to get a shed at Home Depot and then doing something with the roof to slide it off
Beautiful observatory that you have visited Amy ! But if you say that you want to have the possibility for two scopes than it must be a roll-off observatory, don't see it happen with two telescopes in a dome, does it ? So your camera also overheats with long videos, what camera do you use ?
@@AmyAstro My wife was worried about that too. I have had Sky Shed for about a year and a half, I'm 71 years old, 6 feet one inch tall, had my left knee replaced, and my right one is not great either, but I can always get in or out of the POD. To enter or exit, bend down at the waist, put one foot in, shift your body under the door, then bring the other foot in. I have never not been able to get in or out.
@@AmyAstro By the way, if you are ever down towards Macon, the Middle Georgia Astronomical Society, (MGAS) meets at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences at 10 AM the first Saturday morning of every month in the Planetarium.
It’s more like Bortle 3ish, but it’s *very dark* as far as the Eastern US goes. You won’t find darker unless you’re well west of the Mississippi. Kansas and so on.
That observatory is a great idea and execution!
Hi Amy,
Informative video. I have the dream of building an observatory in my garden, so this video was quite useful. I kinda like the idea of a dome that half of it opens so there is no slit. (it rotates too). But the roll-off roll-on seems viable too. Plus I am always concerned about the heat build-up during the day when it is closed. So many decisions.
Heat here in the south is a huge concern. Also the expense of a dehumidifier. I know what I want, just don't know how to make it a reality. :)
Camera isolation is a great idea.
Using garage door rails for the roof is cool. Interesting to see the pad size different from Ver 1.0 and 2.0
Toilets?
The original was 10x10 for the roll off and 10x10 for the control room. Bathroom is about 300 ft to a cabin.
The main home is close by, so no need. :)
The history of human observation of the skies itself is very interesting so it's fascinating to look at observatories around the world .
It is fun touring the ones around me.
Fantastic video! In the future when I get to that point I'm definitely going to take some of this into consideration. For now, I'm just enjoying being out in the open under the stars. :)
Wow! Cool set up!
Thank You for your many years of support!
Living the dream! Good work Amy!
Thank you Ray!! 😁
That’s why I went with a SkyShed POD. It’s mobile so I can take with me if I move or sell it. It is made of ABS, which will probably outlast me and no termite issues. It is a half dome which moves out of the way completely for while sky access with the addition of a PZT table and it is affordable. It has been 6 years and I am very happy.
How do you feel about bending to get inside? Do you need the dome open to move around? Have you noticed it getting hot inside? My car in the summer is over 110F.
@@AmyAstro I’m short at 5’3” so it doesn’t bother me at all. I can move around just fine with the dome closed and that’s because I went overkill and built a 12” concrete pier with a wooden box around and it still gives me plenty of room to have a chair and walk around. The temp variation is about 10 degrees more than ambient temperature so a little hotter in the summer and less cold in the winter. I run a dehumidifier inside mine running at 40%. There’s a little gap between the wall and the wheels just enough to get a little breeze for ventilation but not a drop of water. Another thing I really like is that the walls are short so I can image a target all night from rising to setting. I don’t think there is a perfect observatory design, they all have pros and cons so you just have to make a checklist of your desires and cross-reference with your budget. I couldn’t afford a super expensive dome, had to hire someone to build my deck and that was already expensive enough, ai wouldn’t imagine the price of the whole building. Honestly, the only con of the POD for me is that when the dome is pushed out of the way, it will block that direction of the sky, which for me is North but with the dome open half way I can still image North, just not Zenith, every other position is open 100% so I’m okay with that for now. If you build a table North and another South, you can have access to the whole sky.
@@AmyAstro There is now an option to have taller walls that will be available this year so you don't have to duck to get in.
Deerlick Astronomy Village ? Wow!!!!!
In your wide view of all the observatories I only saw 1 dome in the field, I think we are all biased by professional Obs's mostly being domes that we think that is the best way to go. I personally have a 10' x 10' ROR that I am very happy with. Just make sure to keep the roof as light as possible. My roof is made using foam panels that are sandwiched with aluminum that are used for sun rooms. You are welcome to come visit and inspect if you are ever in the Toccoa area. Tim
I am seeing fewer domes amongst the hobby folks. ROR looks like the way to go. Thanks for the invite!
No donuts!! Our group just purchased our very own dark sky site, and one of the discussions is: what about EAA and fully remote? So the talk is already turning to dome or rolloff. Lots of things to consider. Good luck on your research.
I keep going back and forth on my decision. I am giving myself whiplash!
@@AmyAstro From the domes I have seen in other places, I think they work best when they are close to the place you live. You can setup your run and then go into the house to control it, and when it's done, just close the dome. The roll-offs seem to be better when in a distant location. They can be totally automated, monitored, and when built like a garage with an extended work space, can allow visitors a place to work or even sleep. Are you going to ALCon in Albuquerque later this month?
Nice work as usual Amy and a very cool setup Eric! Happy you stopped by my DAV place afterwards to chat too 🙂
I had to see Max!
Thanks for stopping by the observatory.
Always fun visiting. :)
Also the wind protection from four walls is equal or better that of a dome. If it’s calm enough to open a dome walls are equal
Great video. Very informative.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you for making this video. I always love seeing other people's observatories where ever you are.
I don't have an observatory just a pier with a G11 permanently mounted. It takes only a couple of minutes to put my imaging scope onto the mount with all the accessories, and I am ready. What I do miss and this is where I get envious of you guys. Is my constant battle with British weather and the cloud. When those skies do clear up. It's usually at the full Moon. But hey oh. You have to carry on. Regarding you're observatory. Have you considered a SkyShed-POD?
-P
Yes, I have looked at those also. Still weighing my pro's and con's with my work flow.
I looked at the POD, and it was too short for me, plus having to manually rotate the dome all night was an annoyance imagining. The POD Max though...different story. The roll-off also lets me have a shorter pier, so it's easier to have more stability. Tall piers are a pain to stabilize.
Thanks for the tour. You have a great site! BTW, one other aspect of domes ... you don't get dew in a dome. Scopes don't need dew shields or dew heaters in domes. This was unexpected for me.
Really, no dew? I never thought of that.
I looked web site. It is terrific spot. How many clear night a year do they have?
Looks interesting. I dream to have my own observatory some day on the roof of my summer cottage bath =)
It is funny that we all want the same thing.
I just went the other way from a Nexdome to a roll off. The product has matured a bit and it works ok. But for me the shutter alignment with my 11” edgeHD was always tricky with a guide scope on top. Also the fact that you need a battery with a wireless makes two points of failure that frustrate your life. He’s right about technology not always working. Not to slight Nexdome they were good guys.
I agree with everything he said about domes.
The roll off is surprisingly easy to construct. The opener is darn near bulletproof. They are hard wired in so not wireless no batteries.
I used a dragonfly from Lunatico and it was really easy to wire everything up. And the zenith is clear.
With the dome you don’t get a straight up clear zenith with any kind of a larger scope and quider. You miss around 10 degrees of the best sky.
I use garage door track and it holds a large roof. I’m in Oklahoma and the track holds the roof in strong winds. I use a 12 volt gate latch hooked to the dragonfly with magnet sensors. It automates the opening and it’s easy.
Thank you for your comment. My first want was always a roll-off-roof. I just got scared when either I had to build it, or pay an arm and a leg to get one built. Do you have any photos of your obsy online so I can see?
You can get an observatory and get a clamshell observatory the only problem I have with that sometimes is a zenith but there are ways around that too and I've been out there at 30 mph winds and imaging as long as the winds coming from my back
You can go to sky shed and get one from Wayne
I have been looking at those. The Zenith and bending over to get inside are things I'm not crazy about.
@@AmyAstro Yea the bending is hard but I thought about how to get around that , like build a raised deck with the door at the edge so just stepping in but going out may have to bend... Also I think he may be making one with higher walls so it would be a simple duck.. Also he makes something where you can slide off the clam shell to se the zenith ... There are give and takes to everything .... Also I was thinking about looking into going to get a shed at Home Depot and then doing something with the roof to slide it off
Beautiful observatory that you have visited Amy ! But if you say that you want to have the possibility for two scopes than it must be a roll-off observatory, don't see it happen with two telescopes in a dome, does it ?
So your camera also overheats with long videos, what camera do you use ?
Yeah, a dome does limit my future. The camera is a Canon EOS M50.
Nice
Did you check out a Skyshed Pod? Has a clamshell designed dome so half the dome open, not just a slit.
Yes, they are on my list to consider. My big issue there is bending over to get inside. I have bad knees.
@@AmyAstro My wife was worried about that too. I have had Sky Shed for about a year and a half, I'm 71 years old, 6 feet one inch tall, had my left knee replaced, and my right one is not great either, but I can always get in or out of the POD. To enter or exit, bend down at the waist, put one foot in, shift your body under the door, then bring the other foot in. I have never not been able to get in or out.
@@JohnRichards_Astro Thank you! I was really stressing over that in my decision making.
@@AmyAstro By the way, if you are ever down towards Macon, the Middle Georgia Astronomical Society, (MGAS) meets at the Macon Museum of Arts and Sciences at 10 AM the first Saturday morning of every month in the Planetarium.
@john richards Are you all having a club meeting this weekend???
amigo-yahoo~ bravo~ you created fantastic video-work! have a good day. ✨
Thank you
That piece of land is an astronomer's dream. Bortle 1-2.
Yes it is!
It’s more like Bortle 3ish, but it’s *very dark* as far as the Eastern US goes. You won’t find darker unless you’re well west of the Mississippi. Kansas and so on.
No white lights, amen.
Wonderful Rule!
Red lights in the observatory and the house there!
What kind of camera overheated?
Canon EOS M50. After a 20 min video it gets picky about recording.
👍👍👍❤🙏🇭🇷
Thank you